Erasmo (Ras) Casiano and Diego Coconati look forward to teaching students new skills while having fun and meeting new people.

Business partners Erasmo (Ras) Casiano and Diego Coconati share a passion for preparing mouth-watering food. Both are graduates of the culinary program at Johnson & Wales University and have spent their careers working in the restaurant industry. The two will open Create Cooking School at the Stanley Marketplace in September 2017.

Coconati says opening a cooking school is a natural next step. “It allows us to do everything we love about cooking and restaurants without the stress.” “We knew the Stanley Marketplace would be a perfect spot for us right away,” says Casiano. “We read the ‘Stanifesto’ when we first visited the building and were impressed with the sense of community, which is very important to us.”

Coconati came to Colorado by way of Argentina, Puerto Rico and Miami. He developed his skills cooking South American, Caribbean and Asian Fusion dishes. Casiano, raised in Texas, has always had a keen interest in cooking and started a culinary program at his high school. His specialties are Mexican, South American and traditional Italian delicacies. “We love the social aspect of cooking,” Coconati says. Casiano agrees. “Cooking can be intimidating. We want to remove that factor and emphasize food preparation as the foundation for gathering family and friends around the table.”

Create Cooking School will keep class sizes small to ensure one-on-one interaction between instructors and participants. With a maximum of 12 students per class, Casiano and Coconati envision a completely hands-on experience, teaching students new skills while having a great time meeting new people. An immersive class, participants will “taste as they go,” pairing the foods they cook with compatible beer, wine or cocktails. Some examples of class offerings are: Tacos & Tequila, Burgers & Brews, Steakhouse Favorites and Pasta From Scratch. As Casiano explains, “It’s an opportunity for us to do the shopping, students do the cooking, and we do the dishes.” Says Coconati,” The classes are perfect for date nights, corporate team building and parties.”

The school will also offer classes for busy parents, teaching them how to put together family-friendly meals to take home and serve later. Kids’ classes and camps will introduce children to the kitchen where they’ll discover cooking healthy, delicious meals is fun. Camps will be offered for children in third grade through middle school.

Taught by experienced chefs, classes involving multiple courses will run three hours while less complicated menus will have 90-minute classes. “No matter what class people choose, it’s all about the experience,” says Casiano.

For email updates and upcoming class schedules, visit www.createcookingschool.com.